Till Death Do Us Part
by Fallen Althea
Summary: By some unknown force the worlds of the Angel gang, the Scoobies and the Charmed ones from San Francisco came together to defeat and face one of the most powerful evil threatening to destroy our world today
1. Collision Course

Title: Till Death Do Us Part  
  
Author: Althea  
  
Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" belongs to Joss Whedon and Co. and "Charmed" belongs to Constance M. Burge... I think. But bottom point is that only the plot is mine and some inventory characters that I might add to the fic.   
  
Spoilers: Angel Season Two, Buffy Season Five and Charmed Season Three. Especially the Angel Episode, "I will remember you"  
  
Summary: oh, you know... the usual chaos and ferocious demons wreaking havoc in L.A. No seriously, by some unknown force (probably the Powers that Be) the worlds of the Angel gang, the Scoobies and the Charmed ones from San Francisco came together to defeat and face an evil threatening to destroy our world today. WARNING for future chapters: Major character death. Not really a promising summary but I suck at those so just tell me what you think.  
  
Till Death Do Us Part  
  
Chapter One: Collision Course  
  
"This is killing me." Cordelia Chase stated as she slumped at her table with absolutely nothing to do. They are currently at the vast lobby of the Hyperion Hotel which serves as Angel's Investigations office. "I have no social life, no career at this moment and I cant even get busy by saving mankind because no one wants to call and just make me hear that damn phone ring. I'm starting to forget what kind of ringing that phone makes."  
  
Angel looked at her above the newspaper that he was currently reading and rereading. Cordelia had been going on and on about that certain point for about an hour now and Angel doesn't think that he could handle anymore of those continuing for at least an hour more.  
  
"I mean, what's the use of having a business of saving people when nobody wants to be saved!" Cordy continued much to Angel's irritation. "They go on and on and on about how the world nowadays are so dangerous etc. etc. blah, blah, blah when all they have to do is call US and--"  
  
"At least it's giving you a break from the visions" Angel commented, trying again, in vain to stop Cordy.  
  
"Oh, that's where you're wrong, my brooding vampire!" Cordy exclaimed. "If we don't get phone calls, I get visions. If we get phone calls from the hopeless, whatever, there's no reason for me to have visions. So just come on! I'm ready!"  
  
Suddenly, Cordelia felt the familiar sensation coming over her. Why did she have to open her big and tactless mouth?  
  
*flash* a woman surrounded by mean and hungry vampires.  
  
*flash* a disgustingly looking demon mutilating the girl  
  
*flash* the demon grew awfully large in a matter of seconds  
  
"Cordelia, are you ok?" Angel asked and she noticed that Angel and Wesley, who was previously in the other room, were suddenly beside her, Wesley holding a glass of water and Angel supporing the weight of her head. "What is it?"  
  
"There's a demon on the 23rd street, mutilating a girl with vampires." Cordy shakily and incoherently answered.  
  
"What?" Wesley asked. "A demon is eating vampires with a girl?"  
  
"No idiot! A gir-"  
  
"Get her some aspirin first." Angel commanded.   
  
Wesley obeyed and after a few seconds Cordy's headache is finally subsiding.  
  
"There is this woman on the 23rd street getting attacked by vampires and then there's this demon who suddenly came out from nowhere mutilated her with the vampires just watching. Then the demon just grew, like a balloon, inflated like up to ten feet." The aspiring actress explained. "Angel, you got to stop it before it can kill more humans and maybe grow bigger making it harder to destroy."  
  
"Vampires working with demons." The ex watcher said aloud. "Very peculiar."  
  
"I'm on it." The vampire with a soul announced. "Wesley, make sure that Cordy's ok and I swear that I wont let anything happen to that girl."  
  
"Be careful Angel, I got a bad feeling about this." Cordy said.  
  
"I will, don't worry." Angel said, walking out the door in the late afternoon to face his demons.  
***  
Piper Halliwell could not believe that she let her sisters talk her into this. She the middle child of the three charmed witches is supposed to be auditioning as an actress in a TV sitcom that they suspect has a demon director on the set, who is probably the demon who's been killing countless innocent actresses in San Francisco. Since they heard the director is probably shooting the sitcom in Los Angeles, they quickly flew over there with Cole and Leo who really doesn't need a plane ticket, rented a hotel and make-over Piper for the audition of one of the characters in the show.  
  
Piper objected that she should be the one doing the undercover operation because first of all, she doesn't know a thing about acting and she really doesn't dig those ditzy celebrity thing. But the two sisters reasoned out that she have to do it since the demon have already seen Prue and Phoebe in one of their little fight, and it would be too obvious if they showed up again so she has no choice but to dress up in this high heels and glitzy dress that they've put on her. The only thing that's been making her feel better is the guidance of his husband Leo, a whitelighter who said to protect her in every step she takes.  
  
So here she is now, walking in this dark alley and a little lost. She felt someone or something following her or looking at her so she quickened her steps. She consciously touched her cell phone in her purse so she can quickly call her sisters in case something goes wrong.  
  
And something did went wrong.  
***  
Just a few minutes after, Angel was at the crime scene, or would be crime scene if he succeeded in saving the girl and killing the demon. He hid into the shadows and waited.  
  
He saw the girl, nervously walking all alone in the alley. She seems to know that something's bad is going to happen to her as she opened her purse and clutched something inside it. And practically on cue, just out of nowhere, five ugly vampires appeared and cornered her. Angel expected her to scream but she didn't. Angel reckoned that she just too scared to but in his amazement, the girl flicked her hand at the vampires surrounding her and they all froze.  
  
It was nothing like Angel had ever seen in his whole life, or unlife. The vampires looked like statues and even the drool of one of the vampires seem to be frozen.  
  
But suddenly they all unfroze, and that's when the girl began to panic, grabbing her cell phone out of her purse and hurriedly punching the keypad to dial whoever she is calling, but one of the bloodsuckers snatched the phone from her hand, dropped it to the ground and squashed it with it's foot.  
  
Angel did not waste any time. He jumped out of his hiding place and started kicking vampire's ass into dusts. They've barely fought back because of surprise attack.  
  
He kicked vampire number one on the shins and vampire number two met his fist on its face. They both burst into flames when they met Mr. Pointy. The three other vampires started running away cowardly but angel dusted one of them by his crossbow. The other two escaped.  
  
"So you think you're so tough do you?" a horrible voice said from behind Angel. He turned around and saw the most hideous and nauseating demon he ever saw.  
  
It was scaly and buckets of saliva were pouring from its mouth. It was maybe seven feet tall with razor sharp claws that seem to be ten inches long each. Suddenly it froze, and Angel turned around and looked at the girl.  
  
Before he could do or say anything, she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the demon. "Let's go before it unfreezes." She said.  
  
Angel obeyed and they ran through the streets of Los Angeles, making sure that they are as far as possible from the demon when it unfroze. They reached Angel's car which is parked a few blocks away from where the demon is and they stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say next now that they're probably out of danger, for now.  
  
"I got to go." She said, backing away. "Thank you, Mr... Thanks."  
  
"Look, maybe you should stay at my friend's house first since I think that you don't have a car and it's dangerous for you to go home with that... thing still on the loose." Angel proposed and he noticed that the girl's hand is starting to flick towards him like she'd done into the other vampires. "And do not try that on me, please." He said grabbing her hand and slowly turning it away from him.  
  
The woman was taken aback of the fact that Angel noticed what she is doing.  
  
"Don't worry, something tells me that were on the same side here." Angel said. "By the way, I'm Angel. And you are?"  
  
"Piper." She said. "Piper Halliwell."  
  
"So, how about crashing into my friend's house just for the night?"  
  
"All right, but just for the night." she answered thinking that it's the best thing to do since she's lost and she could probably call her sisters there.  
***  
"She's not picking up!" Prue Halliwell stated as she tried again calling her sister Piper. "It's unlike her not to call us."  
  
"I knew that something's bad is going to happen." Phoebe said, sitting at the king size bed in the hotel room that they've rented. "Even if I didn't get any premonitions, I still have a feeling that something's bad is going to happen to Piper."  
  
"But if you didn't get any premonitions," Prue alleged. "and if something bad did happen, she's alright. Because they wouldn't risk loosing one of our sister because of some street mugging, right?"  
  
"But what if it's not just some simple street mugging?" Phoebe asked her brow furrowed in the uneasiness that she's feeling.  
  
"Just think about it this way," Prue comforted her, putting her hand on Phoebe's shoulder and sitting beside her. "Premonitions, bad. No premonitions, good. Ok?"  
  
"Maybe we need to check on the crystal so we can be sure." Phoebe suggested.  
  
"Yeah, maybe we should."  
  
In a big luggage, they've fitted all the things that they might need in casting spells including the Book of Shadows, some spices and herbs and the crystal in which they can cast a spell to know where their fellow witch is.  
  
After doing it, Phoebe looked puzzled.  
  
"What is it?" Prue asked, worry in her face.  
  
"It says that she's here." Phoebe said pointing to a part of the map. "She's not supposed to be in there, she's supposed to be in here." She pointed to a part of the map that is almost opposite of the one Piper is on.  
  
"Maybe she got lost."  
  
"That far? I don't think so."  
  
"So, wanna go check it out?" a voice from their backs said and caught them by surprise.  
  
"Cole, you scared me!" Phoebe exclaimed. She just remembered that Cole and Leo are just on the door opposite them.  
  
"Why? What happened to Piper?" Leo is already panicking, too worried about her wife. "I'm gonna go check it out."  
  
"Leo, wait!" Prue stopped him before he can orb out. "You can't just orb in into somebody's apartment like you usually do. What if she's just lost? You'll create a worldwide panic here."  
  
"We'll do it in the ordinary way." Phoebe announced. "We'll rent a car."  
  
The demon and the whitelighter groaned since they can easily orb in and out of places and they're not used in ordinary transportation, but since they do not want the Halliwell sisters getting mad at them, they just kept quiet and obeyed.  
***  
"More coffee?"  
  
"No thank you."  
  
Cordelia and Wesley are currently researching about that demon that Cordy saw in her vision when Angel called, saying that he will bring a guest over, the girl that he saved from Cordelia's vision.  
  
A few minutes later, the front door of the hotel opened and in came Angel and the girl he just previously saved.  
  
"Nice job Angel." Cordy complimented when she saw that the girl is safe and sound. "Hi, I'm Cordelia Chase, and you are?" She stuck out her hand to shake the hand of the girl.  
  
"Piper Halliwell." She said, taking Cordelia's hand.  
  
"You must be tired." Cordy said. "Come on, I'll show you Angel's room, you can use that for the meantime, I'm sure he won't mind."  
  
Piper would've turned down the offer but surprisingly enough she felt the exhaustion taking place in her body that the idea of a nice warm bed seems impossible to turn down.  
  
A few minutes later, Cordelia went down and joined Angel and Wesley's discussion that they're having in Angel's office.  
  
"They all just froze like statues." Angel stated. "I've never seen anything like it."  
  
"Who froze?" Cordelia asked, confused. "What going on?"  
  
"The vampires," Angel explained. "When they surrounded Piper, she flicked her hand and they just all froze."  
  
"Well, after all we've seen this past years, I can say that, that's not too weird." Cordy alleged. "I mean, she can be just like Willow, who can spin pencils in mid air, just a little stronger."  
  
"Maybe, but how do we find out for sure?" Wesley asked. "Freezing is still a little peculiar and a totally complicated thing for a witch to do. And it would be too rude to just ask her! And we don't even know if she's a bad or a good witch or if she's even a witch at all!"  
  
"He's right you know." Cordy said.  
  
There was a moment of silence when they suddenly heard someone entering the door. She wondered who would it be at this time of night. She looked at Angel and he seems to be thinking the same thing.  
  
When they all emerged from his office thet found two fine-looking women and two serious looking men waiting.  
  
"Can I help you?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah, uh... I'm Prue Halliwell, this is my sister Phoebe, her boyfriend Cole and um... Piper's husband Leo. Were looking for a girl about a few years younger than me and has long brown hair, almost have the same height as i do... Have you seen her?"  
  
Angel, at first didn't trust this crowd of innocent looking people but when he smelled them, he was sure that they are human so he decided not to lie, but he also smelled a demon so he decided to be not completely honest either. If any case that they attacked, he's sure that he can handle them.  
  
"Yeah, I brought her home when she got attacked by... street muggers." Angel lied. No use of including the frozen vampires in case that Piper has been keeping her powers a secret."  
  
In any case, the lady looked confused, but she shrugged it off.   
  
"By the way, I'm Angel." Angel introduced himself and motioned his hands to the other two people who's currently standing behind him. "And this is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Cordelia Chase."  
  
"Hi, um... can we see our sister now?" the girl named Phoebe asked.  
  
"She's at the guest room resting," Cordy informed. "I'll go get her."  
  
When Cordelia left to wake up Piper, Wesley returned to his researching but still keeping tabs on what Angel and the new guests are talking about. Angel stroke up a conversation in an attempt to know more about Piper and her sisters and the other two sharp looking men.  
  
"So, where are you from? Because Piper mentioned that she's a little lost and fellow Los Angeles don't get lost at their own turf." Angel inquired.  
  
"Um..." the two sisters first look at each other, an unspoken message passing between them. Angel guessed that they were asking each other if they should tell the truth or not. Angel waited patiently, anyway he's good at telling liars from the ones telling the truth, so there's no problem.  
  
Before they could answer Angel's question, Piper turned up suddenly and they hugged each other like they lost their sister for years. Prue started thanking Angel and they started to move towards the door obviously getting ready to leave. Angel didn't plan to let them leave without knowing what or who Piper is so he spoke up.  
  
"Ok, let's cut to the chase here." Angel said trying to have an eye-to-eye contact with Piper. "What really are you?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Prue exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Why don't you ask your sister Piper?"  
  
Prue looked at an ash faced Piper and gave her a questioning look. Angel noticed that Cordelia and Wesley moved closer to the scene and is listening attentively to the tense conversation that is playing in the lobby of the hotel. Angel waited patiently at Piper to answer the question.  
  
"So?" Angel prodded. "Are you a... a witch or something?"  
  
They looked like they've seen a ghost. Angel saw Phoebe nudge at Piper to freeze him so he suddenly grabbed Piper's hand tightly and turned it away from him to the guest's surprise.  
  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" the blond guy who Angel remembered named Leo exclaimed.  
  
"Answer me first." Angel commanded, tightening his grip on Piper's arm. "What are you hiding anyway? Why are you all so scared of answering my question?"  
  
"You're hurting me!" Piper irately shouted.  
  
"That's it!" Prue exclaimed, and in one swish of her hand, Angel began flying backwards done by an unseen force and crashed into the wall on the other side of the lobby.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cordy hollered, running towards Angel to help him get up. It took a few seconds for Angel to get his bearings but when he did, he clearly was mad and suspiciously looking at the sisters and the two men.  
  
"Angel," Wesley whispered. "from my experience and from what I read in books, I believe that these... women are witches. Very powerful indeed."  
  
"Then why are they attacking us?" Cordy asked, obviously still enraged by what they did to Angel and the wall which has now cracks all over it.  
  
"I reckon that they don't want being exposed, and they obviously still don't know that were used to those stuff already." Wesley calmly answered, looking suspiciously at the group who are now diminishing the space between them and the front door.  
  
"Then I think it's time for all of us to have a little talk." Angel said, approaching the sisters and the two men followed by Cordelia and Wesley.  
  
They suddenly all got tense when they felt Angel's presence getting near them.  
  
"Take one step nearer and you'll fly out the window." Prue threatened Angel.  
  
"I think there's no need to go to drastic measures here." Angel started. "Look, I know that you three are witches and one of you is a demon and I think you all can see from our faces that we're not that surprised by our little discovery. I think we're battling the same dark forces here."  
  
The witches looked suspicious, and the demon, which Angel recalled, named Cole, looked more suspicious of them.  
  
Angel broke the tense silence. "So, can we start again?"  
  
"Not so fast batman." Cole spoke up. "You're not human."  
  
"He's not?" Phoebe asked Cole, confused.  
  
"What are you?" Piper asked. Angel can see the tension in her eyes, maybe because the thought of somebody not human rescuing her and inviting her into it's vicinity sounded less appealing.  
  
"Ok, fine. We all have to be fair here." Angel replied. "I'm a vampire."  
  
They all suddenly crouched into their defense mode-  
  
"with a soul." Cordelia added.  
  
The witches, demon and the unknown specie looked confused.  
  
"That's not possible." Leo, who Angel smelled different from humans but is definitely not a vampire or a demon, spoke up.  
  
"Oh, c'mon!" Cordelia exclaimed. "If Angel is a bad vampire then, he would have already eaten Piper long before you guys arrived. Ever thought of that?"  
  
"Ok, we trust you now but you all still have a lot to explain." Prue said.  
  
"And so do you." Cordelia retorted.  
  
"Fine."   
  
"Fine."  
***  
"We could really use this... Book of Shadows in fighting demons so we do not have to kick ass and get all bloody in battling them. Of course, we have to be witches to cast a spell." Cordelia said. "And that whitelighter thing too is really cool so we do not have to suffer the pain from those cuts and bruises, especially Angel. But I think it wont do any good because Angel is the one who is always being hurt and as you said earlier, he cant heal the dead and Angel is, well, technically dead.  
  
After those weird misunderstanding, Cordelia, Wesley, Angel, Prue, Piper, Pheobe, Cole and Leo sat on the sofa and started to talk about his and her experiences in battling demons and vampires and their own techniques in defeating them.  
  
"It must be great to have those powers in battling those demons you've run into, so you can just flick a finger and they go statue-like or wave a hand and they all go flying away like you did to Angel." Cordelia continued on. She seems to be enjoying herself in talking about the powers of the charmed witches.  
  
"Yeah, but enough about us." Phoebe said. She was the talkative one of the sisters so she and Cordelia are the ones who are carrying the conversation, with the others just piping in when they feel like it or have something to ask. "Tell us about your adventures, and the 'vampire with a soul' story is still a little unclear to me."  
  
"Angel, talk." Cordy told him. "I'll go get more juice."  
  
Cordelia left and Angel looked at the guests awkwardly. Carrying on a conversation is really not his strong point and he's a lousy storyteller except he's telling Wesley about what happened when some demon attacked. The three witches, the demon and the whitelighter waited patiently for him to start telling his story.  
  
"Well, uh..." Angel started.  
  
All of a sudden, they heard a clanking noise from the kitchen and then a breaking glass. Angel quickly rushed to the kitchen and he arrived just in time to catch Cordelia in his arms who is now having a painful vision. Angel noticed that they all followed him to the kitchen to see what is happening.  
  
"What's happening?" Leo asked. "Maybe I can heal her."  
  
Angel didn't answer. He's too worried about Cordelia to even speak. Every time Cordelia has a mind-breaking vision, Angel become worried as hell. He's just good at hiding it in front of Wesley and whoever is there to witness it, but deep inside, he's terrified because he care too much about Cordelia that the thought of loosing her is unimaginable even to him, a two hundred and forty four year old vampire who'd seen countless people die and even kill hundreds of them himself.  
  
Thankfully, Wesley answered for him.  
  
"She's having a vision." Wesley replied. "I don't think that anybody can heal her or that there's anything to heal."  
  
"A vision?" Phoebe asked. "You mean kinda like a premonition but..." she looked at Cordelia. "...a lot painful?"  
  
Cordelia stirred, breathing hard, signaling that her vision is over.   
  
"I swear I'm gonna kill those PTBs when I see them!" she said, touching her head. "Where's the damn aspirin?"  
  
"Cordelia, what did you saw?" Angel asked urgently.  
  
"In one word?" Cordy began. "Buffy."  
***   
  
Please Review! 


	2. The Road to Ancient History

Till Death Do Us Part  
  
Disclaimer: Two words: NOT MINE.  
  
Timeline: My timelines are all screwed up! Ok, here it goes: Buffy season five (somewhere between "No Place Like Home" and "Family"), Charmed season three, before the season finale you know what happened and Angel season two (between "First Impressions" and "Untouched"), when they finally got the Hyperion Hotel. I know that seasons four, three and one aired simultaneously but I changed it a bit. I hope you don't mind. Oh, and Gunn and Lorne will be in the next chapters too. Also Kate is going to make an appearance in future chapters. Plus the original major story arcs (like "The Key" business and "Darla") are going to be AWOL for this fic because it doesn't really fit the story. I hope that makes sense.  
  
Spoilers: Everything up to the Seasons mentioned above. Plus MAJOR spoilers on the Angel season one episode "I Will Remember You" I almost wrote a summary of it below.  
  
A/N: Mmmmh... maybe Faith can be brought into this fic by some way or another. Dunno yet, but expect some major Faith action on the upcoming chapters. Wow! To tell you the truth, I've already lost interest in this fic because I started writing this thing way back in May 2002 but only posted this fic on FF.net this December, got blocked and forgot all about it, but since you guys are lovely, lovely people for reviewing this fic, I'll do my best to continue it even though I already forgot the original plot for this, but I decided to change the storyline into a better one, don't worry. I'm sorry to say that the Charmed Ones are going to be absent in this chapter cause this chappie mainly focuses on the long awaited reunion of the Scoobies and the AI gang. I don't see them fitting in any of the get-together scenes with all the history and the supposed to be awkwardness of the situation regarding the BtVS and Angel group. But don't worry; they will play a big role in the upcoming chapters. This chapter is just a piece of angst or fluff in the gathering of the ever so connected but different groups. Oh, and don't ever, ever forget to send feedback. ;-)  
  
Till Death Do Us Part  
  
Chapter Two: The Road to Ancient History  
  
"Hand me a stake!" Buffy Summers shouted, still in combat with a more aggressive and hideous than usual bloodsucker.  
  
Buffy, Riley, Xander, Willow, Tara, Anya and even Giles and Spike are in the graveyard battling out demons that are believed to be the ones who are killing single and beautiful women in Sunnydale this past couple of weeks.  
  
This incident is a slap in the face for Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Anya and even for Dawn, Buffy's little sister since they are in danger of being harmed by that demon. Since Riley won't let Buffy battle that demon alone, Willow and Tara persist on coming believing that their magic can help, Anya refusing to be left out, the same reason for Xander, Spike went only for the thrill in battling out demons since it's the only ones he can hit and kill and Giles because he's just bored burying his British nose in those ancient books hence, the whole gang is at the graveyard battling these vampires who had the nerve to kill the slayer and her friends. Dawn wanted to come too but she can't escape the wrath of her sister even if she tried to beg for her sister's authorization to let her come.  
  
They were supposed to hunt the graveyard for the demon when suddenly and out of nowhere, five ugly vampires attacked them and they have no choice to battle these nocturnal bloodsuckers. A fight that is easily won by the Scoobies since the battle is five versus eight.  
  
After only just a few minutes, the last vamp was finally dusted by Buffy herself.  
  
"I could swear that there's nothing more disgusting than vampires and their kind." Riley said. "All of them are all the same."  
  
Not all of them. Buffy added silently, thinking of that brooding vampire she once knew. Her first love, Angel. The ever so mysterious vampire with a soul. The same vampire she loved and hated. She sacrificed the one she loved to save the world, and now, look how it did her any good. Yeah, he came back, but then went to L.A. to pursue his so-called destiny. And for all Buffy knew, he's already shagging with that pain Cordelia Chase. She wouldn't be surprised if the feared Angelus wouldn't be released to the world since she's selfishly confident that she's the only one who can give him that deadly ultimate happiness.   
  
//But all of those are ancient history now. Now I'm with Riley who probably is the most normal guy I've ever dated. And I'm really thankful for that. Really.//  
  
But not surprisingly, that didn't ease the sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach that could only be classified as jealousy. Why she was jealous, she did not know. Maybe she just didn't want other people taking the only one that she ever truly loved.  
  
"So what now?" Willow asked, distracting her from her reverie. "Are we still going to hunt for that demon 'coz-"   
  
Willow was cut off by the ringing of Xander's brand new cell phone that was given to him by Anya, so as she says, so that they can stay in touch, and also so Xander will look less pathetic.  
  
"Hello?" Xander answered the phone.  
  
"Xander?" a very familiar voice answered from the other line. A very familiar voice. Too familiar in fact. "Where are you all? Look, you need to get to the Magic Box already so we can speak to you all at the same time, because frankly, I don't trust you with this kind of information."  
  
"What?!" Xander said, confused. "Cordelia? Is that you?"  
  
"Yes, you moron!" she snapped. "Call us when your there."  
  
She hung up. And that left Xander surprised and still very confused.  
  
"That was Cordelia." Xander announced.  
  
"We heard." Anya said.  
  
"Why did she call?" Giles asked.  
  
"She said that we have to go to your house immediately so that they can speak to all of us at once." Xander replied.   
  
"Why, what's the matter?" Willow asked. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"She didn't say." Xander replied.  
  
"Typical Cordelia..." Giles mused.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Buffy said.  
***  
"All set." Riley, who's been fixing the phone stood up and said.  
  
They all looked each other, then at Buffy who just stared back. They all knew that Buffy should call Angel and find out what in the Hellmouth is going on, but they're not sure if Buffy is up to it.  
  
"Um..." Willow said breaking the tense silence. "I think we should call them now."  
  
"Yeah." Buffy replied, still not moving from the stool she's sitting in.  
  
"Ok," Xander said. "Does anybody want to do it? Especially the one who's Angel's closest with."  
  
"Bloody Hell," Spike muttered. "Were wasting time here. Just call your nancy-boy ex already."  
  
Buffy felt Riley stiffen beside her. She knew that he still thought that Angel's bad and he's just trouble.  
  
"He's -" Buffy started.  
  
"Fine, I'll go call them." Willow finally said to everyone's relief. She punched the numbers on the telephone and whispered, "It's ringing."  
  
The whole gang watched as she talked to the phone and finally pressed the button for the speakerphone.  
  
"Hey, you all there?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"Were here." Giles replied. "What's supposed to be the matter?"  
  
They heard a little muffling and a voice from afar saying, "Angel, you talk."   
  
"Why me?" they heard a subtle voice said, obviously Angel.   
  
"Because... I still have a headache." Cordelia oh-so obviously lied.  
  
"Uh..." Angel awkwardly began. "Look, right at the point. We've been tracking this demon, it's uh... a demon that's been known to be killing children back in San Francisco and just lately, Cordelia has gotten a vision of the same demon probably killing women there in Sunnydale-"  
  
"We know," Buffy spoke up. "We've been tracking it down for a couple of days already."  
  
There was a beat at the other end of the line.  
  
"Well, the problem doesn't end there." Wesley piped in, his British accent portraying that it's him. "As I found out through my researches, the demon grows about five inches every time it devours a human being. The demon is called Cataula, and the funny thing is, the demon is originally just a foot tall."  
  
"So, because he's just a foot tall, the only kind of human he can eat are children since they're smaller than adults, but what's with the female victims and stuff." Tara piped in to the gang's amusement. She rarely joined the discussions. She often just sits quietly, listening attentively to what was happening and the plans.  
  
"Who's that?" Cordelia loudly asked.  
  
Buffy can see that Tara's cheeks are burning. Thankfully, Willow came to her rescue. She introduced her and also Riley who they still don't know.  
  
"I don't know if you agree with me, but I think that's it's wise if you all go here it L.A. so we can fight this demon side by side since that the females are incapable of doing such." Wesley said.  
  
"Excuse me?" Buffy exclaimed.  
  
"What?!" they also heard Angel exclaim at the same time.  
  
"No." Wesley quickly replied. "I don't mean it that way. Uh... the demon can kill anybody it wants to kill, and just a touch of its hand can and will mean instant death. And at this moment, its prey are females and-" Wesley said when Angel piped in.  
  
"Just one touch from its hand is proved fatal to females." Angel finished.  
  
"Ok," Xander said. "But what about the men? Are they in danger too."  
  
"Well, not the same as the females." Wesley explained. "Males wont die by just the touch of Cataula, uh, the demon's name, but it can still kill them the old fashion way. I'm just saying that if Buffy and the others are here, we can easily track the demon, Buffy can kill it's accomplices and Angel and the others can fight the demon itself. The demon has been spotted with, most peculiarly, vampire accomplices. We admit that we're a little ill-handed with people who can really fight." Wesley further explained. "That is if... if you agree with me."  
  
"It seems like a good plan." Willow said.  
  
"Yeah, I've been wanting to see L.A. for awhile." Anya said. "And since Angel is already free, since Buffy, you know..."  
  
"Anya!" Xander scolded.   
  
"I don't think that's a good idea." Riley stubbornly said.  
  
"Why?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Because..." the only reason that Riley don't want Buffy going there is because obviously she's going to see her ex again and that would be bad for him. "Because we don't have any place to sleep in. It would cost too much if we would stay in a hotel just to track this stupid demon. And what about your little sister? You can't just leave her here with your mom being all busy with the gallery."  
  
"He's right." Giles spoke up.   
  
"Oh, no problem about that." Wesley said. "The hotel's got plenty of rooms for you all."  
  
"What hotel?" Buffy asked, puzzled.  
  
"I thought we talked about not renting a hotel." Riley mused.  
  
On the other line, arguments also rang out.  
  
"What?!" Angel exclaimed.  
  
Cordelia also shouted the same word.  
  
"What's wrong with you two?" Wesley whispered so that he wouldn't be heard at the other line. "Well, where do you want them to stay? This hotel's too big for the three of us anyways. Even including Gunn. It's about time that the other rooms be occupied too instead of the hundreds of dust bunnies that's been sheltering there since time began."  
  
"Well, it's just that-" Angel began but Cordy cut him off.  
  
"Ok, fine!" the ex-may queen said, throwing her hands in the air, signaling that she gave up. "They can all stay here and wreck the place into pieces if they have to! But don't blame me if they demolish everything in sight."  
  
"Hey! When will I got to have a say for all this?" Angel asked, in his eyes a questioning and a briefly amused look.  
  
"Don't worry Angel." Cordelia said. "There will surely be enough bedroom space for you and Buffy to 'get on with it'."  
  
"What?!" Angel's pale face suddenly turned into a bright shade of red. Cordelia almost laughed out loud at the mere sight of Angel having some color other than his usual white façade. "That's not what I-"  
  
"Oh, please!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Save us the details."  
  
Angel and Cordelia as usual continued to bicker while Wesley talked to the Scoobies about the supposed to be plan.  
  
"Um, we allegedly forgot to tell you..." Wesley said. "Angel's office kind of... um... blew up... and... um... Well, it's a really, really long story. Just go to this address and you'll see what we're talking about."  
  
"Ok, whatever you say Wes." Xander spoke up.  
  
"Right, and we'll be expecting you." Wesley answered back. "Oh, and be careful."  
  
"We'll do Wesley." Giles said farewell and disconnected the phone.  
  
"Hey, we still didn't talked about Dawn." Anya said.  
  
"What about her?" Xander said. "She doesn't need a baby-sitter anymore. She already pointed that out to us for probably a million times already."  
  
"No, I don't want mom worrying anymore than she have to about Dawn, now with her being all busy at the gallery, we really don't need Dawn, getting in any more trouble." Buffy spoke up. "No choice, we're taking her with us."  
  
"What about Spike?" Anya asked again. "Are we taking Spike with us too?"  
  
"Please say 'no'!" Xander whined.  
  
"Considering that I've been just sitting here, listening to you all whine and go on about this and that, it's about time that you even acknowledge that I'm also bloody hell here!" Spike exclaimed.  
  
"I didn't know that I was talking to you, Spike." Xander snapped. "I was obviously talking to Buffy."  
  
"I think we need him." Buffy suddenly spoke up, much to Xander's irritation at her answer. "Since, females can't really fight that damn demon-"  
  
"You obviously need my big strong muscles and venomous fangs!" Spike said, a big goofy and amused smile pasted on his face. "All right, I'll go."  
  
"For the love of God! He's just going to annoy us to death!" Xander said, shaking his head. "And can you please control your already bulging ego, Spike? Mickey Mouse has bigger muscles than you, and your fangs are NOT at all venomous!"  
  
"Hey!" Spike shouted, pasting a bogus 'hurt' look at his face. "I-"  
  
"Just cut the crap already!" Buffy hollered. This silly and nonsense argument is really getting on her nerves. "Shut up!"  
  
"So, it's set." Willow said. "We'll leave tomorrow."  
  
To their amazement, Buffy just stayed silent deep in thought.  
***  
Angel still could not believe that Buffy is coming to L.A. and he's going to see her again. After all these long years of being alone, he's going to again have the chance to look into her beautiful blue eyes and touch her milky smooth skin. He still remembered the time they last saw each other. Angel went back to Sunnydale to apologize to her for their little misunderstanding at the police station about that rogue slayer Faith, and Buffy's new relationship with her moronic boyfriend. He remembered the last time that he held her in his arms like it was just yesterday.   
  
The day that never happened.   
  
He became human because of battling that Mohra demon causing to him and its blood to mix. He spent a night of passion with Buffy but then he had to take it all back. The demon said that more would be coming and the slayer will die so he went to the Powers that Be and ask them to turn him back. Turn him back to what he was. A nocturnal creature, not human nor animal, not alive nor dead. He knew what he was giving up. A lifetime of happiness and peacefulness in him, with his heart lively beating inside his chest, live blood surging through his veins. He knew all that, yet he was willing to sacrifice it all for the one girl that he ever loved and still love, up until now after two long years. The oracles agreed and so they turned back the time, being it the only way that it could ever be done, already saying to him that he alone would bear the pain and the hurt of remembering that unbelievable but magnificent day that they shared together.   
  
He fiercely remembered the way he held her just a minute before everything that they ever knew disappeared into nothingness, before the time will be brought back.   
  
//I'll never forget, I'll never forget, I'll never forget!//  
  
But she did forget everything. Every little thing that they did went away from her memory, leaving him grasping the sole idea that what they did may never ever happen again. And that hurts the more, than fatal cuts and bruises that Angel receives almost every single day.  
  
She didn't remember a single thing while Angel never forgot a single small detail about it.  
  
He remembered it all and never forgot anything, up until now.  
  
The sun is shining brightly outside as Angel can see but never can feel. He was at the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel, sitted at one of the soft cushioned sofas while waiting for Buffy and the gang to arrive. The witches and the others went back to their hotel and said that they would check on them for further updates on the demon while they do their own research. Angel asked them if they would like to stay at the Hyperion Hotel with them so they wouldn't waste any more money on their hotel fees but they insist on keeping their old residence.  
  
Cordelia and Wesley, as Angel can hear through his vampiric senses, were arguing about what will happen when the whole gang of the Slayerettes are finally here at the Hyperion Hotel. He knew that they're trying to be sneaky by being inside the office with the door shut closed and not let him hear about what they're talking about but unfortunately for them, Angel could hear every single word.  
  
"Wesley, give me a break!" Cordelia said, fed up of the annoying Brit. "They'll just wreck the whole goddamn place apart! And what will happen if Angel and Crybuffy can't hold their surging hormones to themselves and ends up shagging on the couch? We are doomed!"  
  
"Cordy, I think you are over reacting." Wesley patiently said, looking through a thick pile of papers, which Angel assumed that that was the initial reports and information about the demon they were hunting that Gunn managed to dig up on the streets and his crew.  
  
"I am not over reacting!"  
  
"Yes you are!"  
  
"No, I'm not!"  
  
"Look, what's done is done." Wesley argued, taking a deep breath and letting it out as if it can erase the annoyance that he is now feeling because of Cordy's non-stop complaints. "The damage has already been made, if that's what will shut your big and injudicious mouth-"  
  
"How dare you?!" Cordelia exclaimed, her mouth hanging open as if she could not believe that Wesley said what he said.  
  
"You have no choice but to just treat them as such and after a week or so, they will surely go away." Wesley replied, still as cool as a cucumber. "Just go with the flow."  
  
Cordelia laughed.  
  
"You have no idea how funny it is to see you trying to imitate a beach dude!" she said.  
  
"What-"  
  
Angel chose not to listen anymore. Those two could go on and on forever until their mouths get tired of snapping various comebacks at each other. He just hope that when the whole bunch of Slayerettes get here, they wouldn't be as bad as these two, although that sounds like, to Angel, that is already asking too much.  
***  
"I think we're lost."  
  
"No we're not! We are just... in the wrong place and cannot seem to find the right one."  
  
"Same difference. Admit it Willow, we already lost all our precious 'finding-the-right-direction' skills."  
  
"It's not my fault that Wesley gave us lousy directions!"  
  
"No, Wesley gave you 'wrong' directions."  
  
"It just seems too much to ask Wesley to give us proper and comprehensible information about where the bloody hell is that hotel they are talking about!" Giles sighed.  
  
"Maybe we could ask somebody." Willow suggested, looking around the windshield to find anybody who's looking well enough to help them find the Hyperion Hotel.  
  
"And what do you think we should ask them?" Xander said, steering the wheel into the right to avoid a near collision with a small blue car traveling at their side. " 'Hey! Do you happen to know where the Angel's Investigation is? You know, the detective agency owned by a vampire with a soul. You wouldn't happen to see a pale, slightly mysterious piece of cardboard person around would you?' "  
  
"Very funny Xander."  
  
He, Willow and Giles are at the front of the mini bus that Buffy managed to get from somewhere that the Scoobies don't even want to know, trying to find the Hyperion Hotel that Wesley is talking about just yesterday while the others are just lagging and peacefully relaxing at the back, doing whatever things that they can think of to pass the time that they spent traveling to L.A.. Dawn is looking more and more bored at the minute and every once in a while, she always go to the front of the vehicle just to say hi and bug Giles until he crack up and tell her to go back to her seat. Buffy is serenely sitting by herself at the bottom back of the bus, thinking all by herself while Riley gave up hours ago to get her to talk to him and confine whatever she was thinking. Well, whatever she was thinking at this very moment, the Scoobies could only guess what it is.  
  
Meanwhile, Anya and Tara are engaged into a deep conversation to what Xander suspected was about witches and witchcraft, again. Anya was really willing to learn other magical properties that she didn't know as a demon so that she could be more useful in managing the Magic Box. Spike somehow managed to hide underneath one of the seats to cover from the sunlight, but was now complaining rather loudly about the pain in his back.  
  
"No, I'm serious." Xander answered, a small smile forming at his lips. "I actually did a pretty good description of that vampire back there."  
  
"Do you have to be so mean to him all the time?"  
  
"I'm not being mean to anybody!" Xander protested. "I'm just telling the truth!"  
  
"Willow, Xander..." Giles interrupted, raising his glasses further up his nose, signaling that he's getting irritated or just mildly uncomfortable. "Could you please get on with the problem ahead? We are wasting precious time."  
  
"Well, a lot of time would already be saved if that bloke just gave us proper and intelligible directions!" Xander exclaimed.  
  
"You're sounding more and more British here, Xand." Willow said, smiling. Smiling somewhat always managed to lighten up her whole face and cheer up the moods of the people around her. "Be afraid. Be very afraid!"  
  
"Please don't talk to each other like I'm not here." Giles mused. "And what's wrong with being British?"  
  
"I didn't say that there is something wrong with being British!" Willow said, somehow perplexed at the idea of being racist. "I'm just saying that-"  
  
"Oh look, we're here!" Xander exclaimed happily, pulling the bus into a halt. It was already sundown and the Slayerettes are in deep need for some rest in a real bed and some refreshments and food.  
  
Everybody stopped whatever they are doing and for some, like Buffy, finally woke from her trance-like reverie.  
  
"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, peering through the bus' glass window. "That's building's a little too big to be Angel's"  
  
"Wow," Anya spoke up. "What's with Angel and big buildings? This is better than his mansion back in Sunnydale."  
  
"What mansion?" Tara asked, still all confused and with the lack of knowledge about the vampire with a soul.  
  
"Long story, Tara," Willow answered. "I'll tell you later."  
  
"One way to find out." Xander announced, hopping out of his seat and heading to the entrance of the vehicle. "Are you guys coming or not?"  
  
"What bloody choice do we have?" Spike responded, obviously annoyed and hurting from the look at the way he was clutching his back. "You guys really like to torture me by renting a bloody vehicle with no tint whatsoever, do you?"  
  
"Hey! Nobody really begged you to come!" Xander retorted, eyeing the blond vampire with disgust.  
  
"Who said-" Spike was about to lunch into his full battle of comebacks with Xander when Buffy unexpectedly put an end to it.  
  
"Shut up, both of you!" she exclaimed. "This is not the time, nor place to be squabbling like brainless rugrats."  
  
"Buffy's right," Willow said. "This is not really the time. Let's just go in, shall we?"  
***  
"Where are they?" Wesley said, looking at his watch for the umpteenth time.  
  
"Wow, I expected Angel to be the one anxious for them to finally arrive, but you're really overshadowing him by the way you're acting." Cordelia said, strangely up on her feet and on her cleaning-the-hotel frenzy that only says that she's nervous and agitated as well for meeting her high school friends.  
  
"I'm not anxious!" Wesley protested, who is now standing behind the counter, seemingly looking at the reports about the current demon business that they are working on right now. "I'm just worried that they got lost or something."  
  
"Maybe you gave them wrong directions." Cordy suggested.  
  
"I did not give them wrong directions!" Wesley exclaimed. "And it's so easy finding a five story building here in our block that a blind moronic pervert could even find it."  
  
"Maybe they took a little wrong turn." Cordelia again evoked. "I wouldn't be really surprised because we all know that those guys are still a little... you know... dim?"  
  
"Cordy-" Wesley was about to say that she shouldn't talk like that about her high school friends no matter how mean they are to her a long time ago when the front door finally opened up, revealing nine haggard and irritated looking individuals. Buffy, Riley, Giles, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, Dawn and Spike entered the beautifully furnished lobby of the Hyperion hotel looking like they had just entered a castle and could not believe that it was owned by a friend of theirs.  
  
"Wow." Buffy said, flabbergasted. "Nice building."  
  
"Yeah, can't believe Angel got it for such a bargain." Cordelia said icily, then turned to Wesley and whispered in an irritated voice. "Goddamit! I knew it! They're gonna wreck the whole place apart!"  
  
There was this thick tension between these two independent but infamous girls that strikes Wesley as odd but he just ignored it, believing that it was because they are probably the two most important women in Angel's life - or unlife - the two most beautiful women in Angel's eyes and Wesley knew that he will do everything and anything just to save these two if needed.  
  
"So, where's Angel?" Buffy asked, still looking around.  
  
"He's upstairs." Cordelia replied. "Preparing, I guess."  
  
As if by cue, there was a soft rustling coming from the nearby staircase that caught their attention and down came Angel, looking as gorgeous as ever with an all black attire, still not knowing that Buffy and the Slayerettes are already there. When he reached the final step, he finally looked up and surprise and recognition crossed his handsome face.  
  
"Buffy-" he said.  
  
"Angel-" she replied.  
  
And at that very moment, some could say that the tension in the room is so thick that you could cut it with a knife.  
***  
A/N: Ok, I lied. This chapter is really just a piece of fluff about why and how the Scoobies finally get to the Hyperion Hotel to finally meet the L.A. gang, now an extended version with Gunn and Lorne. The NEXT chapter will be the one who's going to be dealing with the ACTUAL meeting of the guys where awkwardness, fluff and angst will arise. I'm suffering from a little block and I can't seem to just put into words and paragraphs what I originally planned for the story. And I'm still finishing three other stories and that is probably why I took so long to update. Sorry! I'll try harder next time, promise.  
REVIEW!!! 


	3. A Not So Peaceful Gathering

Till Death Do Us Part  
  
By: Althea  
  
Disclaimers: Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon, Constance M. Burge and David Greenwalt (if I'm not mistaken)  
  
Spoilers: Everything up to Season 5 for Buffy, Season 3 for Charmed and Season 2 for Angel.The Angel Episode: "I Will Remember You" and the Buffy Episode: "Buffy vs. Dracula"  
  
Summary: By some unknown force (probably the PTB) the worlds of the Angel Investigations, the Scoobies and the Charmed Ones from San Francisco came together to defeat and face evil threatening to destroy our world today. In this chapter, the Scoobies, the Angel Gang and the Charmed Ones finally meet, and angst and fluff ensues.   
  
A/N: Thanks for all who reviewed! You guys are the best! My sincerest apologies for not uploading this chapter earlier, it's probably two months late. I've been very busy with things but, I can say that I have now a lot of time to write and will upload every chapter every four days and such, but still my deepest gratitude to all who read this fic and reviewed.  
  
A/N2: Oh, and because I feel so bad about not continuing to write this fic, I am now revising and editing the previous two chapters just for the hell of it. I'm recommending you to read it since several scenes are changed and I'm hopefully going to get rid of that "numerous aspiring actress" and hopefully, the writing won't be a bit off.  
  
(((((_^*^_)))))  
  
((Buffy the Vampire Slayer has finally reach it's Final Season and the Series Finale is not far behind (very sad). But yeah, they should end while they're on their highest. It may not be on our TV screens, but it will live forever in our hearts. Let's continue the world that Joss Whedon gave us by our FANFICTIONs. Cheers to all, there may still be Angel! Although yeah, still not decided.))  
  
(((((_^*^_)))))  
  
Till Death Do Us Part  
  
Chapter Three: A Not So Peaceful Gathering  
  
"So..."  
  
"So..."  
  
"So! Why don't we all sit down and catch up to all those stuff that we've missed, while we were all a hundred miles away from each other?" Cordelia forcefully said, mentioning the awkward looking people who's standing around the hotel's lobby looking extremely out of place, to sit at the plush red sofas positioned round the room.  
  
For the first time, probably, in the Scoobie history, they obeyed Cordelia, and sat at the cushions, the tension still thick in the air.  
  
"So, how've you all been?" Buffy asked, somewhat awkwardly the moment they were all seated and Cordelia started giving out drinks.  
  
"Good." Angel answered. "You?"  
  
"Fine." Buffy said.  
  
A beat.  
  
"Hey! What's new at our dear old Sunnydale?" Cordelia asked, the forced and exaggerated cheerfulness obvious in her voice.  
  
"Oh, nothing much." Willow said. "Hey! Did you know that Dracula came to Sunnydale? It was so cool! He--"  
  
"Willow." Giles warned.  
  
"Really? What happened?" Cordelia asked exitedly.  
  
"Dracula? I thought he's just a myth!" Wesley mused.  
  
"No he's not." Angel said. "Met him in 1840. He's such a pain, bragging here and there about how famous and good-looking he is! As if!"  
  
"The old guy's a bloke!" Spike added. "Wise yeah, but brave? A terrified mouse is probably braver than him. Just full of talk and stupid special powers."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Anya exclaimed indignantly. "He's great! He's worth, like, ten times of you..."  
  
"Ok, lay off from the Dracula talk, ok?" Giles said, quieting both parties. "Uh, Angel, let's talk about--"  
  
"Hey, yo, guys I'm here!"   
  
"--who's he?" Giles finished uncertainly.  
  
"Gunn! Hi!" Cordelia greeted, standing up from her sit.  
  
"Hey! That's great! Good for you Cordy! You finally have a boyfriend!" Willow loudly said as Xander tried hard not to appear guilty or hurt.  
  
"What?!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Boyfriend? Oh, no! He's part of the team."  
  
There was a choking noise heard from beside Willow as Xander supressed his laugh.  
  
"What team?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Angel Investigations." Cordelia casually answered. "Guys, meet Charles Gunn, Gunn this is, Riley, Buffy, Dawn her sister, Tara, Willow, Xander, Anya, Spike and Giles.  
  
"Yo!" he said as a way of greeting.  
  
Another beat.  
  
"Are we not going hunting tonight?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Uh, I don't think so." Angel answered. "We've got to... uh..."  
  
"Welcome our guests." Wesley said. "Maybe tomorrow with their help."  
  
"Uh, yeah... ok." Gunn said.  
  
"Hey Angelcakes! You won't believe what---AAAAUUUGHHHGH!!!"  
  
Standing in front of the door of the Hyperion Hotel was Lorne, known as the Host in his own bar Caritas. Dropping in at the moment was not such a good idea because the moment that Buffy saw him, her full slayer mode was automatically turned on.  
  
In the astonishment and surprise of Angel, Cordelia and Wesley, they watched as Buffy gracefully leaped from her chair and without warning tackled the poor green harmless and possibly gay demon. Lorne could just do nothing but shout in surprise and horror.  
  
"Demon! Quick, Xander! Hand Buffy the axe!" Giles shouted, quickly leaping from the chair.  
  
"Giles! No!" Cordelia hollered together with Wesley and Angel. It's almost a funny sight seeing the Scoobies so worried and terrified by a harmless singing green demon.  
  
"Gerroff me!!!" Lorne shouted, waving his arms while trying to get Buffy off him.  
  
"No axe! No axe!" Cordelia shouted, running and putting herself between Xander with the axe and Buffy with Lorne.  
  
"I can't breath!" Lorn shouted, somewhat hoarsely since Buffy is probably squeezing his lungs and stomach by sitting on top of it.  
  
"He's ok! He's good! He's good!" Angel spoke up, gently taking the axe from Xander. "Buffy, you can... you can get off him now."  
  
"He's alright?" she asked, looking uncertainly at Lorne. "He's... He's not bad? He's not trying to kill us or anything?"  
  
"Of course I'm not trying to kill you!" Lorne answered exasperated. "Then I should've sneeked at the back door instead of shouting "I'm here!" at the top of my lungs!"  
  
Buffy still looked unconvinced.  
  
Much less the Scoobies who are now just standing there and looking at each other, confusion on their faces.  
  
"He's a friend." Angel said.  
  
"Uh people, this," said Wesley, helping Lorne up as Buffy finally got off him and stood at his side rather bashfully, "This is Lorne, he's a friend Angel, Cordelia and I met on one of our cases. Angel had to... uh... never mind."  
  
"But he's a demon." Anya tactlessly pointed out.  
  
"You are too." Cordelia retorted.  
  
"Yeah, but a much prettier one." Anya quipped.  
  
"I'm good, alright?" Lorne spoke up, feeling defensive of his current situation. "I help people."  
  
"Really?" said Buffy, mild sarcasm evident in her voice, as if she's not believing that a demon can do good.  
  
"He's anegogic and totally harmless." Wesley pointed out.  
  
"Really? He looks like he's eating enough." Dawn piped in.  
  
Wesley unconciously smiled thinking of how similar hers and Cordelia's reaction was.  
  
"Anegogic? Meaning?" Xander said.  
  
"He can read minds when you sing." Cordelia blantfully answered.  
  
"Oh," Willow finally made a sound.  
  
"So, what?" Spike for the first time spoke up, a little sarcastic smile pasted on his pale lips. "Angel sang? If he did, it's a wonder you guys are still alive!"  
  
"Oh, we barely survived!" Cordelia said, followed by a nod of agreement from Wesley.  
  
"Cordy!" Angel scolded. He's not THAT bad! Is he? He turned his eyes on Spike and actually saw him for the first time since they'd arrived. "Spike, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm with them." Spike casually said, motioning to the people surrounding them.  
  
"What? Why?" Angel looked around speechless. "Buffy?"  
  
"He's, uh... he came along because..." Buffy looked around at Willow and Xander as if asking for help.  
  
"Buffy thought that he would be helpful in fighting againts the demon since we need as more male power as possible." Giles answered for her, in Buffy's relief.  
  
"So he's part of the group now?" Angel asked, confusion still pasted on his face.  
  
"More or less." Buffy answered.  
  
"Unfortunately." Xander said at the same time.  
((((***))))  
Lilah Morgan exited her grand office that late afternoon, her head throbbing because of tons of paperwork that she had been working on that lousy day, all about that pain in the ass Angel and his accomplices. She walked gracefully and with authority through the corridor, reached the floor's elevator, pushed the down button and waited for the sliding doors to open.  
  
She still did not know why the Senior Partners are so interested in Angel, much more about that Slayer that is now in town together with her sidekicks. Nathan Reid was most persistent that she should find out more about that Slayer, probably thinking of how Wolfram and Hart could benefit from her. Like that plan worked before especially with the Slayer's past and their own history with dealing with other slayers. That plan with the Rogue Slayer was such a failure that she heard that Lee Mercer got eaten by a Siphiasco Demon.  
  
More or less, Lilah already knew that the firm had already great plans for her, just like they had with Angel and the upcoming apocolypse. Whatever it is, it is definitely productive for the firm and probably deadly for the Slayer itself.  
  
Another thing is that the firm had been also showing great interest for the three Witches that was said to have great power more than anything that ordiary witches have and can do more than just spells and incantations. Lilah heard from somewhere the firm is planning to kidnap them and use their powers for the development of the firm. But that's just all hear-say, nothing's still permanent.  
  
The sliding doors of the elevator opened and in Lilah went, pushing the basement button. A few moments later, she was walking towards her car in the dark and damp parking lot of the building, her car key clutched in her hand.  
  
Other office mates will think that she was already going home after a long day's work but she knew better than to even tell them of what her day's agenda is. Even though how much she hated that vampire, business is still business and unfortunately, she just got to pay him a visit and there's no refusing orders.  
((((***))))  
A/N: That's it. I'm tired and my eyes hurt from wearing my glasses too long and staring at the computer for several non-stop hours, also working on my other stories. It's not much of a chapter, really, and the writing is a little bit off. Sorry about that. Review it anyway just for the hell of it. I love getting reviews.  
  
Next Stop:  
  
The Scoobies meet the Charmed Ones, plans here, plans there. The guys finally hunts down Cataula and somebody gets severely hurt.  
REVIEW PLEASE!!! 


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